As a young woman, Darlene Bauer Borders wanted to work at Shodair Children’s Hospital, Helena. However, due to her petite stature, it was thought she wasn’t strong enough to be able to lift patients. Throughout the years, Darlene made periodic donations to the hospital, and last month, the facility received $100,000 upon her death at age 73.
“We’re so grateful to Mrs. Borders for all of her contributions throughout the years, and particularly for her last act of generosity for our patients,” said Shodair Administrator Jack Casey. “In accordance with her wishes, her gift will be used to maintain our recreation therapy opportunities for our patients, such as our therapeutic swimming pool and our certified ropes course.” To commemorate Mrs. Borders’ generosity, a plaque will be placed near the hospital’s swimming pool.
On Aug. 23, Darlene Border’s family traveled to Helena for a check presentation and tour of the hospital. Family members present were: Darlene’s sisters Betty Clause, Billings, and Luella Buxbaum, Sidney, and Luella’s children, Sheree Albin, also of Sidney, and Kevin Buxbaum, Glendale, CA. Borders’ family recalled her fondness for helping children’s organizations, spending time with her family, as well as for swimming and bowling.
Following the check presentation, Darlene’s family said, “It was our great pleasure to be able to travel to Shodair Children’s Hospital and fulfill Darlene’s lifelong wish of being able to contribute by donating. Darlene would have been so happy to be able to see Shodair’s excellent facilities and to know that her donation will put smiles on many children’s faces and to simply let kids be kids. After all, being a kid at heart is what Darlene did best.”
Darlene was born on Oct. 24, 1938 in Elgin, ND, to Herbert and Ida Bauer. She was the fourth of five children. After graduation from high school in Sidney, Darlene attended the Billings Business College. She married Keith Borders and moved to Las Vegas, NV in 1967. Darlene worked at the Four Queens Casino and the El Cortez as head cashier for the majority of her career.
Darlene is survived by two sisters, Betty (Roy) Clause, Billings; Luella (Richard) Buxbaum, Sidney; and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Keith Borders, her parents, brother Bennie Bauer, and sister Shirley Goldsmith.
While no longer a traditional pediatric hospital, Shodair Children’s Hospital touches the lives of countless Montana families each year by providing acute and residential psychiatric care for Montana children and adolescents, and clinical and laboratory medical genetic services to Montanans of all ages. Shodair is a non-profit, non-denominational facility and the state’s only Children’s Miracle Network hospital. The medical genetics department at Shodair serves as the state’s medical genetics program, and provides comprehensive services to patients at the Helena campus and in communities throughout the state, including Sidney, via outreach clinics. Last fiscal year, Shodair Children’s Hospital provided over $3 million in uncompensated care to Montana’s families. For more information, visit http://www.shodair.org.
Reader Comments(0)